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Mar Vista Elementary

Q: Is Mar Vista Elementary a good school?

Mar Vista Elementary ranks 3271 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3271^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of California elementary schools

Summary

Mar Vista Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 270 students in Aptos, California, operating within the Pajaro Valley Unified school district, which faces broader challenges across the county.

Academically, Mar Vista's proficiency rates in English, math, and science are notably lower than those at other elementary schools in the same area, such as Rio del Mar Elementary and Valencia Elementary, despite all being part of the same district. The school serves a student population with a higher level of economic need than these neighboring schools. However, Mar Vista has achieved a remarkable success story by dramatically reducing chronic student absenteeism over the past two years, now boasting a better attendance rate than several higher-performing local schools.

While Mar Vista's statewide ranking has declined from historical highs a decade ago, recent years show signs of stabilization. The school's performance is similar to other schools with comparable student demographics, like Live Oak Elementary. It maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio and has shown historical strength in supporting special education students. The significant performance gaps between Mar Vista and other schools in Pajaro Valley Unified highlight an important area for district-wide focus on educational equity and resource effectiveness.

270

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

54.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6860 Soquel Dr.
Aptos, CA 95003-3225

(831) 688-5211

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

Students who attend Mar Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Aptos Junior High
High:	Aptos High

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.4%

Hispanic:

37.8%

Two or more races:

6.7%

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Compare Mar Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2013 → 44th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg21%

California avg41%

3,271^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified

1253^rd of 1,543Pajaro Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	3271 of 5857	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	3138 of 5869	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.5	2505 of 5859	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	2407 of 5883	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.5	2733 of 5789	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	2712 of 5662	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.2	1960 of 5692	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.0	1613 of 5614	71.3%	★★★★☆
2015	75.1	1317 of 5611	76.5%	★★★★☆
2013	68.6	1643 of 5530	70.3%	★★★★☆
2012	76.3	1213 of 5390	77.5%	★★★★☆
2011	68.1	1576 of 5377	70.7%	★★★★☆
2010	69.9	1461 of 5314	72.5%	★★★★☆
2009	78.7	1061 of 5193	79.6%	★★★★☆
2008	62.8	1740 of 5113	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.7	1737 of 5113	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.8	1433 of 4818	70.3%	★★★★☆
2005	62.2	1652 of 4822	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.6	2030 of 4809	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	58.3	628 of 2227	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	63.7	635 of 2585	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	47.4	841 of 2128	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	2420 of 5597	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	2902 of 5612	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.2	1986 of 5609	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	1940 of 5635	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.8	2237 of 5492	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	2340 of 5413	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.8	3706 of 5107	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.6	3701 of 5107	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.3	2164 of 5087	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.4	3110 of 5084	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	3269 of 4963	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	3038 of 4830	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	3273 of 5460	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	3300 of 5517	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	3082 of 5363	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.1	3164 of 5264	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.4	4197 of 5173	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	3577 of 5084	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	4035 of 5628	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.1	3127 of 5643	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	2851 of 5638	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	2662 of 5663	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.3	3080 of 5510	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.5	2949 of 5431	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	53.9	862 of 2635	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	514 of 2420	78.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	1986 of 2598	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	1942 of 2651	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.2	1856 of 2661	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	1665 of 2726	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	1909 of 2834	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	1981 of 2737	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2024)67th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2025)57th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-9 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science26%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mar Vista Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Mar Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	6860 Soquel Dr.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 688-5211	270	15	17.8	54.1%	136 (50.4%)	1 (0.4%)	102 (37.8%)	9 (3.3%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	18 (6.7%)	39.2	3271^st of 5857 public elementary schools	44.2%		40.7	3138^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.5%	133	26.5		26.5	38.5	25.0	41.2	55.3			40.1	33.3	33.3	26.5	34.2			32.0
Valencia Elementary	Public	K-6	250 Aptos School Rd.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-7836	487	24	20.2	37.0%	303 (62.2%)	0 (0.0%)	148 (30.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.6%)	78.3	1225^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.1%		82.9	1042^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	82.2%	183	46.8		46.8	55.2	66.1	65.8	65.6			63.2	56.7	51.6	57.0	51.6			54.4	93.8	96.9	93.8
Main Street Elementary	Public	K-5	3400 North Main St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5650	383	17	23.2	24.8%	234 (61.1%)	3 (0.8%)	105 (27.4%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.6%)	66	1788^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.5%		77.7	1260^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.5%	528	44.1		44.1	47.2	52.9	60.3				53.4	48.6	50.7	46.3				48.6	95.5	97.0	95.5		97.0		$13,121	$946	$12,175
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		56.5	2208^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.4%	403	40.0		40.0	42.6	40.0	49.1				44.0	40.8	39.2	34.6				38.1	91.1	96.4	96.4		96.4		$13,999	$1,422	$12,577
Rio del Mar Elementary	Public	K-6	819 Pinehurst Dr.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 688-2053	393	19	20.5	22.1%	249 (63.4%)	2 (0.5%)	88 (22.4%)	13 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.9%)	74.9	1374^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.5%		69.3	1621^st of 5869 public elementary schools	72.4%	247	58.3		58.3	50.0	61.2	66.1	53.0			57.6	39.6	57.1	55.7	60.6			53.7
Mountain Elementary	Public	K-6	3042 Old San Jose Rd.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Mountain Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-6812	143	8	17.8	14.7%	97 (67.8%)	1 (0.7%)	26 (18.2%)	6 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (9.1%)	83.1	1009^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.8%		72.6	1472^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	74.9%	463	61.1		61.1	79.0	57.1	72.2				68.8	79.0	42.9	61.1				62.5	81.0	81.0	90.5	81.0	85.7	90.5	$34,392	$598	$33,794
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	8005 Winkle Ave.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5670	214	9	24.3	30.4%	113 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (38.3%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.5%)	53.2	2414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.8%		55.7	2251^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.6%	163	43.8		43.8	37.5	57.1	54.8				49.5	37.5	46.4	25.0				35.9							$14,816	$1,236	$13,580
Live Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1916 Capitola Rd.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-2000	362	15	24.1	58.6%	90 (24.9%)	5 (1.4%)	252 (69.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	35.7	3527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.8%		44.3	2909^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.4%	618	27.9		27.9	33.3	37.3	51.2				39.1	27.1	27.9	37.2				29.8	93.9	96.3		96.3	95.1		$19,181	$1,390	$17,791
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)			60.0							50.0							38.6							$22,434	$944	$21,490
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	166	9	17.5	28.9%	105 (63.3%)	3 (1.8%)	40 (24.1%)	4 (2.4%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.2%)	58	2171^st of 5857 public elementary schools	62.9%		71	1551^st of 5869 public elementary schools	73.6%	620	35.3	54.6	42.9	52.9	62.5	17.7	53.3	75.0	54.6	52.2	76.5	50.0	5.9	53.3	62.5	72.7	52.2							$13,628	$00	$13,628

Frequently Asked Questions about Mar Vista Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Mar Vista Elementary?

Students at Mar Vista Elementary are 50% White, 38% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Mar Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mar Vista Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Aptos Junior High
High : Aptos High

Is Mar Vista Elementary a good school?

Mar Vista Elementary ranks 3271^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mar Vista Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended Mar Vista Elementary.

What district is Mar Vista Elementary in?

Pajaro Valley Unified

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.